Tammy (2014)

Tammy Synopsis

Tammy (Melissa McCarthy) is having a bad day. She’s totaled her clunker car, gotten fired from her thankless job at a greasy burger joint and, instead of finding comfort at home, finds her husband getting comfortable with the neighbor in her own house. It’s time to take her boom box and book it. The bad news is she’s broke and without wheels. The worse news is her grandma, Pearl (Susan Sarandon), is her only option—with a car, cash, and an itch to see Niagara Falls. Not exactly the escape Tammy had in mind. But on the road, with grandma riding shot gun, it may be just what Tammy needs.

This week is on the quieter side in terms of releases, but it does see a musical remade for the movies hit Blu-ray for the first time. Additionally, Melissa McCarthy goes on a road trip with her alcoholic grandmother in Tammy and Sookie says goodbye to Bill for the last time.

Casting an actor to play a character’s dad in a movie or television show can be tricky waters to navigate. On the one hand there’s the importance of matching certain genetic features, making sure that actor has some similar features and is age appropriate. Perhaps more important, however, is having a higher understanding of personality and making sure that there are some familiar patterns and mannerisms that can be matched and show link between parent and offspring.

Meeting as part of a press day held in Los Angeles, director Ben Falcone and I had a great conversation talking about the ridiculous and funny journey behind the making of Tammy, his directorial debut. Read on to find out what he had to say!

Melissa McCarthy and Susan Sarandon end up in a car together, and they are heading to Niagara Falls, creating chaos along the way as they learn a bit more about each other… and a bit more about themselves. When you put it that way, it sounds a LOT like McCarthy’s own Identity Thief, replacing Sarandon with Jason Bateman as the comedian’s road-trip buddy.

Which is why we've decided to break down most of the summer's offerings, observing exactly what it is about some films that cause them to succeed and fail. This involved number crunching, market analysis, educated guesses, and the application of a few snobby biases.

Based on a script co-written by McCarthy and her husband/producing partner Ben Falcone (who is also directing), the film begins as titular character (McCarthy) starts the worst day of her life. She crashes her car, loses her job at the local burger stand, and then returns home to discover that her husband has been having an affair with a neighbor.

The situation became an issue when McCarthy caught the mother jerking the child in the air by the wrist. Unsurprisingly, McCarthy fired the woman and had production assistants take the woman off the premises, the actress saying she wouldn’t tolerate abuse on her set.

Tammy’s plot revolves around Tammy, (McCarthy) who is having one of the worst days of her life and finds herself fired from her job before discovering her husband is cheating on her. For her sanity’s sake, she decides to hit the road with her cussin’, boozin’ grandmother (Sarandon) whose lesbian friend (Bates) helps them out on their trip. Tammy meets a strange man (Duplass) along the way, and they develop an unusual relationship. Aykroyd will play Duplass’ father, who also encounters the ladies on their journey

Co-written by the Oscar nominee and her husband Ben Falcone, the raunchy comedy tells the story of a woman who loses her job and discovers her husband cheating, and decides to go on a long road trip with her alcoholic, foul-mouthed diabetic grandmother.

The Identity Thief star will be making her directorial debut by helming Tammy herself alongside her husband, co-writer and producing partner Ben Falcone. According to the trade McCarthy-Miller was forced to drop off of the project due to scheduling issues, and while the studio tried to get Rob Reiner involved a deal couldn’t be made.

While a Bridesmaids sequel without Kristen Wiig could be out of the question for Melissa McCarthy, we will be seeing the Mike & Molly star back on the big screen eventually. In addition to being credited for a part in the upcoming Judd Apatow comedy This is 40, McCarthy also has Tammy in the works. The comedy, which McCarthy co-wrote and will executive-produce along with her husband/Bridesmaids-love interest Ben Falcone, now has a director.

The same goes for Taylor, who might be wise to play the waiting game before selecting his next project. Depending on whom you trust, Taylor’s The Help could be a major player in this year’s still-developing Oscar race. And a select few Oscar trackers are saying the film’s pull could drag Taylor into the Best Director race as a result. If that’s the case, he suddenly could have his pick of a series of prestige projects, so there’s no need to jump on a film just yet.

I actually really like the idea of breakout stars working together. They all have something to prove with their next efforts, so why not work together to produce the best work that they can? Taylor proved that he can handle strong lead female characters with The Help, so Tammy seems right up his alley.

Melissa McCarthy is on fire. Seriously, someone douse her in ranch dressing because the woman is hot right now. Still glowing from her breakout performance in Bridesmaids, an Emmy win, and more recently hosting the funniest episode of Saturday Night Live this season, it’s evident that McCarthy is having a good year. What’s on the horizon for her? Quite possibly a starring role in New Line’s Tammy.